Vertical blind assemblies, for example, vertical venetian blinds which extend over a wide window or door opening, often have operating elements, i.e., a rotatable shaft or operating cords, which extend over the width of the opening to which the blind assembly is applied and which are used to provide means for opening or closing the blind assembly and/or to tilt the slats of the assembly. Where the width of the opening is large, the operating element or elements may tend to sag if no means are provided for supporting the same. This may in turn lead to an unsightly appearance and even to difficulty in operating the blind assembly.
In conventional vertical venetian blind assemblies, individual slats are supported by slat support means in the form of travelers where the travelers are movable along and are supported by a headrail. The travelers also may support the operating element. Thus, when the blind assembly is closed, that is when the vertical slats of the venetian blind assembly extend across the width of the opening, the travelers themselves may provide means for supporting the operating element along the portions of its length. However, when the blind assembly is moved to an open position, that is when the salts are moved to one side of the opening, the travelers carrying the salts are also moved to one side of the opening thus removing support for the operating element. Where the operating element comprises a rotatable shaft, the shaft may tend to sag and in those instances where the element comprises one or more operating cords, the cords may sag.
Conventional vertical blind assemblies have overcome this sagging problem by providing for one or more support means for an operating element in the form of carriages which are moved along the length of the headrail as the blind is moved towards an open position to substitute for the support provided by the travelers as the travelers are moved towards the open position. The force necessary to move these carriages, when combined with that necessary to move the travelers, may in many instances become excessive and the hardware required for moving the carriages as well as the carriages themselves is relatively expensive and complicated to install, is not easily adjustable and often is not reliable in operation.
The same problems that exist with vertical venetian blind assemblies also may exist with draperies that are used to open and close window or door openings. In some instances the portions of the fabric comprising the drapery are carried by traverlers which are moved along a headrail by an operating element. This element may be subjected to the same bending and sagging problems that exist with vertical slatted venetian blind assemblies.
As disclosed in applicant's prior application Ser. No. 725,456, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,422, a plurality of separate supports are provided for a vertical blind assembly in which each support is movable into supporting engagement with an operating element to support the element along portions of its length when the blind assembly is in an open position and which is movable out of supporting engagement with the operating element when the blind assembly is moved to a closed position.
In construction, the support element comprises an arm adapted to move into and out of supporting engagement with the operating element of the blind assembly in response to movement of the lead traveler of the plurality of travelers. Preferably, the arm is L-shaped and includes a short leg and a long leg with the arm pivotal about an axis extending perpendicular to the juncture of the legs to pivot in a plane whereby the long leg may be moved into and out of supporting engagement with the operating element and whereby the free end of the long leg may engage a further portion of the headrail.
The support element is positioned so that the pivot axis is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the headrail such that the long leg is adapted to be engaged by the contact member, which is mounted on the lead traveler, when the lead traveler moves toward a blind closed position to pivot the arm and long leg out of supporting engagement with the operating element and such that the short leg is adapted to be engaged by the contact member when the lead traveler moves toward a blind open position to pivot the arm and long leg into supporting engagement with the operating element.
With the construction disclosed in applicant's prior application, it is possible, after the blind has been properly installed, for someone to reach up into the headrail with a finger, pencil, screwdriver or some other instrument and to activate the shaft support in the opposite direction to that in which it is supposed to be at the time. For example, if the blind has been fully extended to its closed position and someone reaches up to activate any one of the supports into a supporting mode, then when the operator chooses to move the blind to an open position, the first traveler beyond the mispositioned shaft support would eventually engage that support, and either the opening action would be abruptly stopped or the operator would have to exert enough force on the pull cord to drag the shaft support to the other end of the headrail. The reverse situation of course could occur when the blind is in an open position and someone reaches up and purposely or inadvertently activates any one of the shaft supports into the non-support mode.